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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Maricielo

I had a problem with my english teacher last week,.I am from Peru so that means that I speak Spanish and I am learning how to speak English. We had an evaluation and the question said "Check the correct answer" and after that said "____ you speak Chinese?" there were alternatives A) Can, B)Could, C)May, D)Do, E) Does
Which matches the best for you? I answered D) Do, but my teacher said that it was wrong because speaking a languague that it is not yours needs an ability so that's why the correct answer is A) Can.
Help me please I am very confused.
  

Top answer

I agree with you and disagree with your teacher. The more common of the two common answers is 'Do', and they mean the same thing—they both refer to the ability.

— Mister Micawber

  • I agree with you and disagree with your teacher.
  • The more common of the two common answers is 'Do', and they mean the same thing—they both refer to the ability.
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5 Answers
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I agree with you and disagree with your teacher. The more common of the two common answers is 'Do', and they mean the same thing—they both refer to the ability.
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"Do" and "Can" are both normal and natural English. If there's a difference, it's that "Do" may be preferred when asking someone that you think (but are not sure) may be a native Chinese speaker, while "Can" may be preferred when asking someone who obviously is not Chinese but may have learned how to speak the language. This is not clear-cut though.
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But if there's just that information and there is nothing that makes you infer that the person that you are talking to is Chinese or not. What would you ckeck?
GPYmay be a native Chinese speaker
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AnonymousBut if there's just that information and there is nothing that makes you infer that the person that you are talking to is Chinese or not. What would you ckeck?
Then there is no way to choose between "Can" and "Do". The question is faulty.
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... by the way "Could you speak Chinese?" is also correct English of course, but is a noticeably less likely choice.
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